Omaha daily bee., 1887-03-05
ALMOST AN OPEN RUPTURE.
A Clash Between Cleveland and Congress
Narrowly Avoided.
MANY BILLS LEFT UNSIGNED.
Weaver of Nebraska Fails to Secure
Recognition on the Omaha Post.
ollice Measure-Natiouai
Capital News.
Grover Made Them Mad.

n serious rupture at the capitol just before
congress adjourned. The usual committees
were appointed in each house to wait upon
the president to notify him that congress
was ready to adjourn and awaited his pleas
ure for further communications. The men,
bers of the committee on the part of the sem
ate were Messrs. Sherman and salisbury and
on the part of the house Mcssrs. Morrison,
Tucker and Reed. The president had stead
lily refused to accept the advice of friends and
go the capitol, as has been customary with
chief executives in the past, SO as to be in
position to handle measures as they passed
congress up to the last moment of the session.
He did this for the purpose of teaching con-
gresS lession in business experience, as he
did not believe in the practice of holding back
bills for final action to the last moment with
view to escaping the scrutiny Of the presi-
| dent Besides. he said, the presidents office
| was at the white house and measures requir-
| ing his signature should be sent there and be
| sent early enough for his deliberate action.
| In other words, he held that congress should
conform to the convenience OF the president
instead of the reverse. 1t was shortly after
| II o'clock when, for the purpose of waiting
| upon the president inquiry was made by the
| members of the committee whether Mr..
| Cleveland had yet arrived at the capitol and
whether he was in the room adjoining the
senate, which was very many years ago set
aside for the work of the president on the
| last day OF the session of congress. A mega
| tive reply was received and surprise was eX-
| pressed that President Cev Gland should ig
| more this old custom and courtesy to con-
| gress, as it Is convenience to that body.
| The bills passed after the beginning of the
| last ten days of the session must receive the
| signature of the president or they die,
| whereas, those passed prior to that time may
become laws without the signature OF the
| president by virtue of a constitutional pro-
vslon so it can be readily seen there is great
| necessity for the president to be close at
hand that he may sign bills up to the last
minute congress is in session. When the
committee was informed that President
| Cleveland had refused to visit the capitol and
| sternly protested that it was the duty of con-
| gress to cater to his convenience there were
| uttered words of not only disapproval but
| contempt. Then it was proposed that the
| committee set down and write q report to
the two houses to the effect that it had called
at the room set apart for the occupancy Of
the president on the last day of the session
| of congress and that II had not found his ex.
cellencv therein ana that 1t had no report to
convey from him. This was agreed to unani-
mously, the democratic members of the com.
mittee agreeing with the republicans that
Mr.. Cleveland acted contemptuously in
| refusing to do what all presidents
from George Washington down to and in
GLIDING Arthur had done promptly This re-
port was conveyed to the president pro TEN of
the senate and speaker of the house, and
| although 1t was not announced it soon be-
came noised about and created great deal of
| aypitpmnpt Instantly tplavromc
to the white house by Speaker Carlisle and
senator Harris, informing the president of
the action of the committee and advising him
to come to the capitol. 1t was then after half
past II o'clock Presently dispatch was re-
celved from the executive mansion to the
| effect that Mr.. Cleveland was on his way to
the capitol. When he arrived there were a
number Of enrolled bills lying Oh the table in
his room and before he bad examined them
it was II o'clock. Quietly the hour:hands on
the clocks in the two houses were turned
back to permit the completion of business.
Again the hour-hands were shading II
O'Clock and the committee was not ready to
| report from the es!dent, and again the
hour hands were turned back. Finally the
president refused to delay adjournment
longer, informed the committee it could re-
port no further communication from him,
and, drawing on his great coat, left hastily
for the white house; but he left to die a mis-.
cradle and disgracetul death number of
u
both parties had worked long and faithfully
and in which the entire country was inter-
ested. Intense Indignation was expressed on
every hand at the action of the president.
lie should have gone to the capitol last
| night and remained all night ii necessary to
attend to the work for him to do, but instead
he remained at the executive mansion and
two carriages were required to carry clerks
back and forth with measures requiring his
signature. More than that, two or three
extra clerks had to be enlisted for the pur-
pose, and it rained and showed and was as
disagreeable as could be for that enormous
amount OF extra and unnecessary travel.
presented by any legislative body as that wit
RECESS IN THE HOUSE
1t is improbable that such scene was ever
messed in the house at 10 O'Clock this morn.
ing. Paper and tobacco qulds and stubs Of
cigars and other filth covered the carpet so
completely that one could not discover the
color CT that article. The members had been
up continuously for almost forty.eight hours
and were sore-headed sleepy and uncharita-
bic the speaker, anticipating stampede,
mad posted trusted sentinel twenty feet in
of an emergency. Springer, Holman and
Curtin were designated for this purpose, and
one of them occupied chair at the head of
the center aisle in seni-circle IN front OF the
hour OF the session Curtin sat in the chair,
but he appeared SO nearly exhausted as to be
of no assistance to the speaker. The duty of
these % Sentlnels was to object to consideration
|
PRODUCTION of resolutions and anything else
which might embarIass the presiding officer
or house. Ii was tlieir special duty to
see that nothing was considered which was
to be to the disadvantage of the predominant
party. There was great camor 10 get rec.
| ognition, and some niemDers stood up and
howled themselves ho3Yse, and in anger tore
up the bills and reports and flung them on
the floor in full view OF the speaker. One OF
the most persistent fOr recognition was Mr.
Weaver, of Nebraska lie had bill appro
priating Sl00, 900 for the enlargement Of the
government building at Omaha, and for an
hour he stood beside his seat and called fol
the speakers eye. He tried every possible
scheme in parliamentary tactics, even resort
ing to rising to a question of privilege, to .
question OF order, to make parliamentary in
qury, which he would turn into a plea fol
getting recognition for the consideration OF
! his bill, Then Mr.. Weaver went down in
| front OF the speakers desk and spent the re-
! naming hour pleading, trading, combining
, and then denouncing, but it was all to M
avail: He finally lab0Red for fifteen minutes
with Mr.. Springer, who objected to the con
sideration Of the measure and who steInly
refused TO withdraw his objections. WheI
, Mr. Reed offered the resolution on the par
of the house thanking the speaker for hi
uniformly impartial administration o
the functions of the presiding Off